A Strong Bender
by watercrab
Summary: Oracle's Fortune #6: What Aunt Wu told Katara was true. Zuko is planning to propose. Just like the other fortunes, the universe has it's own way to cause trouble.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: Do Not Own.**

* * *

Katara rolled over and gave a sigh as her hand gently touched the rumple pillow. Zuko snuck out of her suite before the servants woke up. She bit her lower lip, she should not be disappointed but she could not help it. It has been four months since she moved into the Fire Nation. During those four months, Zuko had been in her suite doing nothing but holding her and sleeping. Katara sat up in the bed and gave a stretch. She was glad that she was home and not traveling across the world.

Home, how easily it sounded when it comes off her lips. When the war ended, Katara was not ready to head back to the South Pole. In fact she did not want to return to her icy home. She saw so much and did everything in her power for peace that returning would be considered an insult for her.

Sokka offered for her to move to Kyoshi Island with him and Suki but Katara politely refused. Her brother had a life now and she did not want to interfere. Then Zuko made his offer. He suggested that she should live in the Fire Nation because it would be easier for her to travel around the world with the help of airships and boats. For a master waterbender and a healer, it made logistical sense. The second part of his offer was her to move into the Palace so they can spend precious time together when they are not at their duties. Katara laughed when he gave a cocky grin when he mentioned that they did not have to worry about Sokka disturbing them. She immediately said yes and never regretted the decision.

Putting on her robe, she began heading to the balcony. It was her private ritual. She would sit on the banister and watch the gardeners do their work. She placed her hand in one of the pockets and felt a piece of paper. Knowing who it was from, Katara read the note.

_Tomorrow you will be waking up in my arms._

_I have meetings until noon, so we can't spar or have breakfast together. _

_I'm sorry._

A soft smile appeared on her face. Zuko always leaves a note in the morning. He always wrote his notes in the same pattern. It will start out something that can be suggestive, then goes to the agenda of the day and finally ends with an apology if needed. Katara explained to him that an apology was not needed but Zuko was determined to apologize for everything. Katara figured that it was his own penance for what he did at Ba Sing Se and she cannot talk him out of it. Whatever the reason why Zuko planned his meetings so early she did not mind. She had a huge trunk of clothes waiting to be unpacked.

Katara let her mind wandered on her relationship with Zuko. She cannot believe that in a short amount of time that they had fall in love. Katara corrected herself. She had been in love with Zuko since Ba Sing Se. She used her anger and hurt to cover up her feelings and convinced herself that she did not love him. She forgave him at the temple when he returned from Boiling Rock with Sokka, their father and Suki but kept lying to herself that she still loved him. That lie finally broke during a healing session when he was having those awful nightmares. Katara remembered how she held him and giving him a kiss when he finally went to sleep. She remembered how she wanted to do that every night without the dreams. That revelation made her realized that she still loved him. Her mind began to wander towards the day he was executed.

She could feel the dark cloud forming in her and she forced herself to think happy thoughts. Katara hated that dark feeling. It was a mixture of rage, hate, and sadness. Zuko told her that it would take time to get over it and the Oracle said that she needed to forgive herself. Katara frown. She cannot forgive herself. She caused a lot of pain.

"Lady Katara?" one of the gardeners called out breaking Katara's dark thoughts.

"Yes?" Katara asked looking at the confused gardener.

"You're not excited about the Avatar and Lady Toph coming?" the gardener said as he resumed pruning one of the cherry trees. "Or having your holiday at the Oracle's compound?"

"That's today?" Katara gasped as her eyes went wide. That's why Zuko had all his meetings early. The gardener chuckled at the lovely waterbender.

"I have to unpack!" Katara shouted as she jumped up from the railing. "And repack!" she raced back inside her suite.

The gardener shook his head at Katara as he continued to chuckle. Majority of the servants love the waterbender and enjoy her company. They whispered to each other wondering when their Fire Lord would propose to such a fine, generous, beautiful lady. Actually their whisperings became a betting game. The gardener gave a nod to one of the guards as he continued to prune.

"I think Lady Katara needs some help with the packing," the gardener said to the guard.

"I'll suggest that to one of her maids," the guard replied giving a huge grin. His voice went low making sure that Katara did not hear the next question. "Did you bet on the Oracle's compound?" the gardener nodded. "How much did you place your bet?"

"Twenty gold pieces," the gardener said. The guard gave a low whistle. "I know it's a lot but I'm that confident. What did you bet on?"

"Lady Katara's birthday," the guard replied as he kept looking around making sure no one was listening. "I did some research and that's considered marrying age in the Water Tribes. I placed ten gold pieces."

"I put five silver pieces on when Lady Katara and Lord Zuko find out they are expecting," another gardener piped up.

"Rubbish!" the gardener and the guard scoffed. "Lady Katara would water whip Lord Zuko until the next peace conference before that would happen!" the gardener scolded his younger worker. All three men stopped bickering when they heard a squeal from Katara's suite.

"I should make that suggestion now," the guard said as he started to walk off. "Before she destroys the Palace," the other two gardeners snicker at the thought.

* * *

Katara's suite looked like a cyclone had hit it. Colors of blue, red, and green scattered all over the floor, on the furniture, and somehow managed to get on the ceiling fan that was powered by heat. A large trunk was sitting on her bed. Katara puffed out a strand of hair that gently landed in front of her face. For the first time in her life, she did not know what to pack. She looked at the mess of clothes and gave a huff. Aang and Toph would be here at any moment and she was not ready. Katara can hear Toph's comments now.

_Maybe I'm becoming spoiled,_ she thought as she heard the door opened. She did not turned her head until she heard a gasp.

"Lady Katara!" the girl shrieked. "You're suite is a mess!" she looked up at the ceiling fan. "How did they get up there?" she pointed at the clothes spinning in a circle. Katara laughed.

"Help me Esei," Katara said as she tried to pout, Esei laughed. "I don't know what to bring."

"What do you want to do when you're at the compound?" Esei asked as she picked up a blue tunic and red pants.

"I want to relax," Katara said as she flopped on the bed. The trunk hopped an inch closer to her body. "I want to blend it."

Katara's constant travels had made her exhausted. Every time she returned to the Palace, she would be whisked away to the next stop. Even if she had the rare moment of staying, Zuko would always be busy with his duties. The trip to the compound is a definite need for alone time.

"Blend in and relax," Esei repeated as she looked around the suite. She was one of Katara's maids and enjoys that the waterbender does not demand much. When she does ask for help, Esei was ready. "Well you should wear red to blend in," Esei suggested.

Katara agreed which surprised her maid. She was getting tired of wearing blue. Her water tribe color was becoming quickly associated with her master waterbender's status and for once in her life she did not want to be a master waterbender. In fact she did not want to be seen as a waterbender. She just wanted to be seen as a young woman enjoying her vacation with her boyfriend.

"Red it is," Katara said as she began picking out red silks off the floor and the armoire. Esei took the silks out of Katara's hands. Katara was shocked by the girl's bold action.

"You want to relax," Esei reminded as she hung the silks back into the armoire. "Let's pack linens and cottons. Their not too fancy and it will help you cool down. Apollo Island is hot this time of the year."

"Esei," Katara said as she gave the girl a hug. "I don't know what to do if you weren't here."

"You're suite would be messier," Esei said with a smile. She continued packing as Katara laughed. The girls closed the trunk and successfully locked it.

"What happened in here?" a voice called out. Katara and Esei turned around and saw Zuko standing in the suite. His eyes were wide as he studied the mess.

"Packing my Lord," Esei said with a quick bow and exited the room. Before she exited, Esei gave Katara a wink.

"Aang is going to think I'm spoiling you," Zuko said as he pointed at the trunk. Something caught his attention above him. "How did those get there?" he pointed at the clothes on the ceiling fan. Then a wicked grin appeared on his face. "I know am good," he let his sentence trailed off as he looked at her. Katara saw the excitement dancing in his amber eyes.

"Don't flatter yourself," Katara said as she rolled her eyes and giving him smack on his arm. Zuko grabbed his arm and gave her a dirty look. "Weakling," Katara joked as Zuko pulled her in for a kiss.

"That's what happens when you are in meetings all day," Zuko murmured in her ear. The warm breath on her skin instantly brought a blush on Katara's face.

"You're wearing your robes," Katara said trying to distract herself. She could feel the disappointment growing in her. Zuko was still dressed as the Fire Lord. "You're not coming," she sadly said as she tried to push herself away.

"I'm coming," Zuko said huskily as he tightens his grip around Katara's waist. He gave a smirk when he heard her squeak. "I need this. _We need this_," he kissed the top of her head. "I'm just coming later. There's an emergency meeting."

"Can't you cancel it?" Katara whined. She mentally slapped herself, she sounded spoiled. Zuko chuckled as he played with her hair.

"Love too," Zuko replied with a sigh. "But the 'fate of the Fire Nation' excuse was used," he gave her a quick kiss on the forehead. "I'm preparing the airship right now so it will be ready by the time the meeting is over. I should be there by nightfall, then its two wonderful months of no disturbances."

"Wow, Zuko is being romantic," Katara said with a laugh. Zuko raised an eyebrow and stared at her with confusion. "You said wonderful. Last time I checked that word wasn't in your vocabulary," She was about to give Zuko a kiss when she heard a familiar sound of an airbison. "Their here!" she squealed as she took Zuko's hand and ran out of the suite.

* * *

"Wow Zuko," Aang said as he stared at Katara's trunk. "Aren't you spoiling her?" Toph started to laugh.

"We where just talking about that," Zuko said as he shook Aang's hand. He turned to Toph and gave her a big hug. "He's treating you alright?"

"Of course he is, Sparky!" Toph said as she let go from hug. Her face gave a pouting look as her fingers trailed over his robes. "You're not coming?"

"I'm coming later," Zuko reassured. "It's bad enough I have to reassure Katara, but you? Aang is turning you into a girl."

"In theory," Toph said as she gave Zuko a punch in the stomach. He doubled over as he gasped for air. "I'm still me," she crossed her arms and gave a huge smile.

"I don't think that was necessary," Katara said as she tried not to laugh at Zuko's discomfort. Zuko growled at her.

"It was," Toph replied as she bent the ground and the trunk moved to Appa. The servants chased after the moving trunk.

"If I remembered correctly," Zuko said once he regained composure. "I thought I told you not to do that anymore. The carpenters are going crazy with the repairs."

"Tell them not use marble," Toph replied dryly as she glared at Zuko. Instead the glare was directed at Aang.

"Well we better get going if we make it to the compound by dinner," Katara said as she turned to Zuko. Zuko pulled her in for a hug and gave her a kiss. "I'll see you later," Katara whispered ignoring Toph's gagging sounds.

"Yep," Zuko said in a husky tone. "I was serious in my note," he nuzzled into her neck. Katara's face went red.

"I thought you where being sweet," Katara said knowing her voice sounded hoarse. Zuko gave her one of his arrogant smirks.

"Nope," Zuko whispered as he kissed the tip of her nose. Toph cackled as Katara headed to Appa with a beet red face. Aang hung back as he watched the girls climb into Appa.

"So are you ready?" Aang asked as he stared at his friend's face. Zuko had his usual blank expression but his amber eyes were showing nervousness.

"I think so," Zuko said looking rather pale. "This is going to be harder than fighting Azula."

"The only difference would be that Katara won't kill you," Aang joked but stopped when he noticed that Zuko's face turned grey. "Breathe Zuko," the Fire Lord let out his breath.

"I think I should get to that meeting," Zuko said calmly. "I'll see you guys later," Aang nodded and jumped into Appa's saddle with one single bound. Zuko watched his friends fly away before turning around and headed to the throne room.


	2. Chapter 2

**WOW!! My email exploded with alerts and reviews! I'm taking that as a good sign!**

**Having problems with Sokka's fortune. If you have any ideas or suggestions on how the universe should punish Sokka please send them!**

**Disclaimer: Do Not Own.**

* * *

Katara let her fingers gently rapped against the table. It was almost midnight and Zuko was not here. She tried not to worry about the meeting that he had or let her thoughts dwell on what the meeting was about. She kept repeating that there was nothing to worry about. Her friends had successfully made her think less about Zuko's meeting and more about their actions. They knew something.

Katara's eyes followed to the remaining people that where sitting with her. After dinner, Ling announced she was going to bed and Mim escorted the glowing pregnant Oracle to their room. Iroh and Song where sitting at one end of the table recalling memories of the compound. Laughter escaped from their mouths as they recalled a story about Lu Ten's attempt to be a knife thrower. From the stories, Katara figured that Lu Ten and Song caused a lot of trouble while Ling and Mim where the voices of reason during their childhood. Katara had to smile, the childhood friends where so much similar to her friends. Sokka and Suki sat across from her talking about the upcoming wedding. They are planning to have it during the winter solstice. Next to Katara where Aang and Toph. The young couple where in an arm wrestling contest. Toph kept on winning until Aang leaned forward and gave her a kiss on the lips. The earthbender's face went red as Aang was able to slam her fist into the table. What drove Katara nuts was the awkward pauses that happened every few minutes from all her friends.

"Okay," Katara said sounding irritated when the pause happened again. "What's going on?"

"Nothing," they all said giving a shrug.

"Toph," Katara said looking at the bemused earthbender. "Is that true?"

"No one's lying, Sugar Queen," Toph replied dryly as she grabbed Aang's hand for another match. "No cheating Twinkle Toes."

For the first time since knowing Toph, Katara had a feeling that she was lying. Giving a loud sigh, Katara stood up. Everyone stopped what they where doing and looked at the upset waterbender. She was about to say her goodnights but Toph cut her short.

"Sparky's here!" Toph shouted as she sat straight up. She made a frown. "And he's pissed," her frown did not match the excitement in her voice.

The great hall's doors flew opened. Zuko stormed into the great hall still dressed as the Fire Lord and looking like he was going to set something on fire. His eyes scanned the shock faces and when he saw Katara, he rushed towards her. Through his anger, Katara knew something was wrong. His amber eyes were showing several emotions; sadness, hurt, and betrayed. Katara could not understand why he was feeling like that. Zuko reached out and his hand gently touched Katara's cheek.

"Katara," Zuko said in a sad voice. She could have sworn that Zuko was going to cry.

"Who's the floozy?" Toph asked sounding rather smug.

Zuko sealed his eyes shut as Katara looked over his shoulder. Standing at the entrance of the great hall was a woman. The woman stood there with some regal posture that suggested that she was from nobility. Her black hair was cut short and was very pale. She made Zuko looked like he had a tan. She was no older than Ling and the look she was giving was pure disgust. Katara thought she was not beautiful let alone pretty.

"Floozy?" the woman said sounding quite appalled. Toph gave a smirk as she crossed her arms.

"Yeah a floozy," Toph repeated enjoying the game. Song and Suki narrowed their eyes at the guest. "What is your name and why are you here?"

"My name is Vianne," The woman said as she placed her hand on her chest. Sokka rolled his eyes at the gesture. "Lord Zuko, you expect me to stay here?"

Katara stepped away from Zuko as he blew flames through his nose. His eyes where still closed but Katara can sense the rage that was brewing in him. Iroh stood up from his spot and cleared his throat.

"You are a guest at the Oracle's compound," Iroh said in his most regal voice. Everyone could hear the irritation in his voice. "Your insults will not be tolerated. Lady Bei Fong asked you a question and you have to answer it."

"You're a Bei Fong?" Vianne said sounding rather shock as she looked at the dusty girl.

"Yep," Toph said with a grin. She knew that she was higher on the rich ladder than the woman. "Answer the question Floozy. Why are you here?"

Zuko began mumbling something but Katara could not hear. She was interested in who this person is. Something in the back of her mind was telling her not to like Vianne.

"I'm the Fire Lord's betrothed," Vianne answered giving a smug smile to Katara.

* * *

The room went completely silent. Katara could hear the boats' sirens at the docks not too far from the compound. She was dumbstruck as she looked at Vianne. This woman claimed to be Zuko's fiancée. Katara was feeling the black cloud forming in her as she glanced at Zuko. His eyes where still closed but she could hear him counting as he tried to control his anger. He gave a growl as he spun around.

"I AM NOT YOUR BETROTHED!" Zuko snarled as he threw a fireball towards a tapestry. The woven piece erupted in flames.

"That was the Oracle's gift to Mim," Song whispered to Suki as both girls stared at the scene in front of them.

"Probably to replace the one that the Oracle set on fire," Suki answered in a hushed voice. Sokka shushed both girls as he looked on.

"Since I'm the Fire Lord," Zuko said as he pinched the bridge of his nose. His head was pounding. "I do not recognize this engagement."

"You can't do that," Vianne said coldly. Her gold eyes began to glow. Katara raised an eyebrow.

"Fire Lord Zuko has no arranged marriage," Iroh said as he glared at Vianne. Katara let out a sigh of relief. "My father had banished the practice."

"According to this," Vianne said as she reached into her robes and pulled out a scroll. She tossed it to Iroh and gave a smirk to Katara and Zuko. Iroh began to read the scroll while Vianne continued. "He belongs to me."

_How dare her! _Katara fumed as she glared at Vianne. _Zuko is not property, an animal, or some trophy to show off! He is a grown man that can make his own decisions! _The black cloud was growing in her as she decided to dislike this woman. _Besides, he's mine!_

Zuko slowly took Katara's hand and began to squeeze it. Katara barely felt the gesture but she knew that he was standing right behind her. She was letting the black cloud consumed her as she stared at Vianne. The dislike of the woman turned into hatred. Katara wanted to strike Vianne where she stands. Vianne looked at the couple and gave a disapproving shake.

"I heard about you," Vianne said as she pointed at Katara. Her voice dripped with venom. Katara gave her a deadly glare. "You're the concubine."

"BITCH!" Katara screamed as she lunged at Vianne. A strong arm wrapped around her waist as she tried to move forward. The black cloud consumed Katara as she waved her hand in the air and ice daggers appeared at her fingers. A hand grabbed her wrist and the daggers began to melt at the touch. Her back was pressed into a hard chest.

"WHAT IS GOING ON HERE!" a voice cut through the commotion.

Katara stopped struggling in Zuko's grasp. The black cloud was leaving her body as she breathed heavily. Katara looked to the direction of the voice. Standing at the end of the staircase was Ling and Mim. They both looked very angry. Katara let her eyes wandered around the table and gasped at the sight. Zuko was not the only one holding someone back. Sokka had his arms around Suki as she struggled to get out. Song was about to throw a teacup at Vianne but Iroh grabbed her arm. Aang somehow managed to hold back Toph and kept her feet off the ground. Vianne stood at her spot like a statue but she kept on smirking. Katara wanted to slap the smirk off of her face.

"Let me repeat this," Ling said as she waddled to the table. "What's going on?" Mim escorted her to a chair. Vianne was the first to speak.

"My Oracle," Vianne said as she gave a quick bow. "Your guests are reacting to the news."

"What news?" Ling asked as she placed her hands over her large belly. Her voice sounded cold.

"That Lord Zuko and I are betrothed," Vianne replied. Her voice oozed with content. Ling's head snap back as she stared at the woman. Mim began to cough.

"Is that true?" Ling asked to no one in particular.

"Yes," Iroh said as he pushed the scroll to Ling. "It appears that Lord Azulon had proclaimed it."

"I see," Ling replied as she looked at the scroll. She turned her attention to Mim. "Love? Can you escort our guest to one of the bedrooms?"

"Of course," Mim said with a quick bow. He grabbed Vianne's elbow and directed her to the stairwell. Once out of earshot, Ling let out a large sigh and pat her belly.

"I did not see that coming," Ling said.

* * *

Iroh told Ling what just happened while Ling read the scroll. She occasionally looked up giving Katara and Zuko a sad smile. Her attention would go back to the scroll as she reread it again. Not finding any solutions in the scroll, Ling sat back in the chair and gave a loud sigh. During this time, everyone calmed down and returned to their seats. Zuko pulled Katara in his arms and held her tightly.

"Iroh," Ling said looking at her former fiancé's father. "Is this official?"

"Yes," Iroh said sadly. "It even bears Azulon's watermark but something is off."

"Off?" Zuko shouted as he raised his head from Katara's shoulder. "I'll tell you what's off! I've been engaged and don't even know it! Plus, why can't I end it! I'm the freaking Fire Lord!" Toph pumped her hand in the air.

"The reason why you can't end it because the arrangement had to be ended by the Fire Lord who signed it," Ling said as she glanced at the document. "Before it was banished it was called the _Ironclad Marriage_." Her nose wrinkled when she saw something on the paper. "Iroh, did you noticed that the second signature is by Ozai?"

Everybody's heads snapped up at Ling's comment. Katara noticed that everyone at the table looked relieved except for Iroh.

"I found that odd too," Iroh said as he rubbed his beard. Heads snapped towards Iroh with confusion on their faces. The old general quickly explained. "_Ironclad Marriages _are signed by the Fire Lord and the Crown Prince. I was the Crown Prince not Ozai."

"Then the scroll is null and void," Sokka said as he began to rubbed his hands together. "Toph, I have a crazy idea what you can do with the Floozy."

"I'm all ears Snoozles," Toph said sounding way too happy on inflicting pain on someone. Normally Katara would scold the two. Right now she liked the idea of Vianne being ejected out of the compound through the roof.

"No," Iroh said as he shook his head. "Azulon signed it. It is still valid," Zuko groan and let his head fall back into Katara's shoulder. "Ling, did you check the date?" Ling's eyes traveled down the scroll and made a gasp.

"This was signed on the day Little One was born!" Ling cried out as she glanced at Iroh. "According to the time that was stamped, Little One was dying."

Katara felt Zuko flinched at the comment. Ling had saved Zuko from death minutes after he was born. That was when she had her two prophecies about him and also when his father rejected him. Since learning that fact, Zuko had no problem calling his father by his name.

"The question is," Iroh said sounding rather agitated. "How can my brother be at both places at the same time?"

"Song?" Ling said to her friend and assistant. The girl approached to Ling's side and gave a nod. "I want you to check this out," she placed the scroll in Song's hand. "Check to see if this document is official and not a forgery. I want you to find out everything we need to know about Little One's _fiancée_," Ling made the word sound dirty. "Leave no stone unturned."

"I'll start tonight," Song replied and gave a quick bow. She quickly disappeared.

"Can she do that?" Zuko asked sounding unsure. "Does she have that type of clearance?"

"Song has unlimited resources Little One," Ling replied as she gave her belly another pat. "She was the one that found out about Ozai's advisor," Katara felt Zuko bristled when that was mentioned. Ling gave a yawn as she tried to sit up. Aang assisted her. "I think we should all retire and have a clear mind tomorrow."

"Unless the prince can find another room," Mim said as he walked into the great hall. Disdain was shown on his face.

"What do you mean?" Ling asked as she balanced herself.

"Our humble guest wanted to stay in the prince's room," Mim said as he grabbed Ling's hand. "Actually she demanded it."

"She's in my room?" Zuko said looking rather disgusted.

"Floozy," Sokka, Suki, and Toph coughed at the same time. Aang began to laugh but quickly stopped when he received a deadly glare from Zuko.

Katara had enough. This was supposed to be her vacation with her boyfriend. She was not letting some Fire Nation floozy take that away from her. She had a lot of confidence that Song would be able to find enough information on Vianne and prove that the scroll was fake. Pushing all dark thoughts aside, Katara grabbed Zuko's hand and began dragging him towards the stairs.

"You will be in my room," Katara growled. Seeing the anger before, no one dare to protest.

"What?" Sokka replied to Aang's dirty look. "You know that the Avatar State cannot compete with Katara's wrath."


	3. Chapter 3

**It's official! You guys _HATE_ Vianne! She is related to a side character from the show. I'll give you two hints: 1) the character was in a couple of episodes in Book 1-3 (you have to guess which book) 2) You know about Karma. **

**Enjoy and Review!**

**Disclaimer: Do Not Own.**

* * *

"Why do bad things keep happening to me?" Zuko shouted as he stormed into Katara's room. He tugged his crown out of his hair and threw it towards the wall. The golden flame on the crown imbedded itself into the plaster. Katara flinched at Zuko's anger. She has not seen him that upset since she fought him at the North Pole. Zuko ran his hand through his hair and sat on the bed. His head hung low as if he was ashamed.

"Zuko," Katara said softly as she sat on the bed next to him. She took his hand and began tracing small patterns into his palm. "We will figure this out."

"How?" Zuko whispered as he intertwined his fingers with hers. "The scroll is ironclad."

"Ling has a lot of faith in Song," Katara replied as she studied their hands together. They were perfect together. "I have a lot of faith in Ling. Besides, she did not foresee this _problem_," Katara could not say engagement. She heard Zuko snorted.

"Which surprises me," Zuko answered as he lay back in the bed. He pulled Katara down and wrapped her in his arms. "She always knew what was going on in my life."

"I wish there is something we can do to give Song more time," Katara said as she fiddled the gold trim on Zuko's robes.

"We could runaway and disappear," Zuko suggested as he played with Katara's hair. Katara rolled onto her stomach and stared at Zuko.

"How would that work?" Katara snorted as she brushed Zuko's hair out of his face. "The compound is heavily secured. If we managed to get out, we are still on an island."

"There's a secret passageway in the library on this floor," Zuko replied as he rubbed Katara's back. Katara felt a shiver running down her spine. "To get off the island, we just have to be stowaways."

The couple gave a heavy sigh as they lay on the bed. Zuko kept rubbing small circles on Katara's back as she played with his hair that kept falling on his face. A breeze was flowing through an open window and they can hear the ships' whistles. Zuko stopped rubbing Katara's back and she stopped playing with his hair. Amber met blue. The teenagers sat up from the bed and stared at each other.

"That might work!" they both said at the same time.

* * *

Their plan was simple. They where going to runaway tonight. They where going to take the secret passageway that was located in the library and smuggled themselves onto a ship. From there, they did not know what to do. Their plan was simple but it did have some major flaws.

"Where do we go?" Katara asked as she sat on the bed. Zuko was sitting next to her. She could feel the excitement running through his body.

"We can't hide in the Fire Nation because everyone knows who I am," Zuko replied as he placed his chin in his hand. "The Water Tribes are out of the question because everyone knows who you are," his head snapped up. "The Earth Kingdom! The area is large and there are a lot of villages that are tiny so it would be easy for us to blend in!"

"We can use the money I brought!" Katara said excitedly as she rushed to her trunk. She threw clothes out of her trunk and pulled out a pouch. She opened it up to see how much she brought. "It's not much but it should last," her head popped up and saw Zuko struggling out a red kimono that was thrown on his head. Katara started to laugh as Zuko tugged the garment off his head.

"That explains why your clothes where on the fan," Zuko chuckled as he tossed the garment at her. "Speaking of which," he pointed at the red outfit that Katara was wearing. It was similar to the outfit that she wore during the war. "That's all you are bringing. Just the clothes on our backs."

"What about you?" Katara said as she pointed back. "You are not exactly dressed to blend in and you're _not _going back to your room," she pushed back the black cloud that was forming again.

"Like I want to go back there," Zuko snorted. "There is a laundry room on the first floor," he stood up and headed to the door. "There should be some clean clothes," he stopped before his hand touched the doorknob. "Write a note to everyone. The last thing we need is the Fire Navy searching for us," he gave a crooked smile and exited out of the room.

Katara went to the desk and pulled out some paper and a brush. At first her mind was blank. What could she say that would not send the navy after them? An answer popped in her mind. She tried to shake it off but it kept returning to her in full force. It was her only choice and Katara quickly wrote her note and rolled it up. She walked to the crown that was imbedded into the wall. Katara pulled the crown out of the wall and slid the piece around the note. She unclasped her mother's necklace and wrapped it around the crown. Her fingers gently rubbed the polished stone and stared at it. Something was telling her that this would be the last time that she would wear her mother's necklace.

"Ready?"

Katara turned around and saw Zuko standing at the door. He was wearing a red tunic with black trim. She noticed that the black pants and his shoes where his own. Zuko saw the question that was etched on her face.

"I do wear pants underneath my robes," Zuko said with a sly smile. Katara knew her face went red.

"Let's go," Katara managed to say as she tried to control her blushing. She tossed the note on the bed so it would be found by anyone.

* * *

The couple snuck into the library and Katara was amazed by the size of the room. The room took up one side of the compound. Taking Katara's hand, Zuko lead her to the far side of the room. Katara let her eyes studied the room with the little light that they have. Bookcases full of scrolls covered the walls and the room was decorated with tables and chairs. Since she could not make out the color of the room and the furniture, Katara imagined that the room was gold with dark wood furniture. Zuko stopped at one of the bookcases and pushed a scroll into the shelf, Katara heard a latched released. Zuko extinguished the flame out of his hand so he could pull the bookcase open. Once the door was opened the flame returned back to his hand. Standing before them was a tunnel.

"How do you know about this?" Katara asked as she stared down the tunnel. "And where does this go?"

"My cousin told me about this tunnel when I was little," Zuko answered. "It leads to the docks," Zuko thought of something and walked to another bookcase. He studied the scrolls that where in front of him. Zuko found the scroll that he was looking for and pulled it out.

"What are you doing?" Katara hissed. "This is not the time to read!"

"I remember Lu Ten hiding something in here," Zuko replied as he stuck his hand in the empty space. "I wondered what it was," he pulled out a note and began to read it. Katara heard a sharp intake of breath from Zuko.

"What's wrong?" Katara asked as she saw Zuko's face began to pale.

"Read it," Zuko gave the letter to Katara and began reaching in the open space again. Katara read the note and let out a small gasp. She understood why he would be stunned.

_Zuko,_

_I had a feeling that you might need this more than me. Take the money and head to a small village called Norse in the Earth Kingdom. I purchased a small apartment above the bakery. Just tell the owner that Lu sent you. He would know what to do._

_May the spirits watch over you._

_Lu Ten_

"How did he know?" Katara whispered when she finished reading the note. Zuko pulled out a couple of pouches.

"I don't know," Zuko answered as he looked into one of the pouches. "There are enough gold pieces in this pouch to last a year! And he left four bags!"

Katara and Zuko just stared at each other. They had enough money to disappear and never to be found. Giving all four pouches to Katara, Zuko gently pushed her into the tunnel and slowly closed the bookcase behind them. Katara heard a click from the bookcase and the tunnel lit up when Zuko created a flame. With his free hand, Zuko took a couple of the pouches that Katara was struggling to hold.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" Zuko whispered as he looked into Katara's eyes. He could see the flame dancing in her blue eyes.

"I'm sure," Katara answered and just to prove her point she kissed him.

* * *

"How do you know that Nut is a girl?" Aang asked as he munched on his fruit. The sun has not begun to rise and everyone was up except for Katara, Zuko, Song, and Vianne.

"And how do you know that she would be a firebender?" Suki continued as she lowered her spoon into her oatmeal.

"And how do you know that she would be an Oracle?" Sokka finished with food in his mouth.

"Swallow Sokka," Mim said with disgust on his face. The warrior stared at him with his mouth open.

"The Oracles are firstborns," Ling said as she patted her belly. "All Oracles are girls and all Oracles are firebenders. Therefore, Nut would be a girl, an Oracle, and a firebender."

Since she announced that she was expecting, Zuko began calling the unborn child Peanut. His reasoning was that if he had a silly nickname then the baby would have one too. Peanut was quickly changed to Nut because Toph liked the double meaning in it. Ling liked it better than Toph's original suggestion, Nutty.

"Where are Jerkface and my sister?" Sokka asked. This time he swallowed his food to Mim's relief.

"Yeah," Aang said. "I thought Zuko _rose with the sun_," he did his best impersonation of Zuko. It was a feeble attempt but Aang got the reaction he wanted, everyone laughed.

"You need to snarl your lip more Avatar Aang," Iroh chuckled. More laughter erupted. Toph was the first to stop and looked a little peeved.

"Here's Floozy," Toph snarled as she readjusted herself in the seat. "Damn, I was hoping she choked on a feather."

"Language," Ling warned as she took a sip of her tea. Toph stuck out her tongue at Ling but it was pointed to Iroh.

Vianne came storming into the room in an ungraceful way. She was wearing her morning robe and her hair was out of place. Whatever she was angry about, it was more important than her appearance. She glared at everyone in the great hall. No one seemed to care that she entered the room.

"Where is he?" Vianne asked coldly.

"Jerkface?" Sokka answered looking disinterested. The warrior did not like Vianne after what she said to Katara last night.

"_Lord Zuko_," Vianne hissed as she corrected Sokka.

"Don't know," Sokka replied with a shrugged. He returned to eating his oatmeal. "Honestly don't care."

"Lady Vianne," Ling said sweetly as she tried to keep her composure. "It's too early in the morning to pick a fight. Didn't Little One returned to the room last night?"

"He did not return," Vianne said as she stared at the group. None of them looked surprise. "I found _this_ in the belongings," she tossed the item on the table. "Can someone tell me what _this_ is?"

Landing perfectly in the middle of the large table was a necklace. The chain of the necklace was made from several smaller gold chains that where woven together to form a rope. Dangling from the rope chain was a large emerald cut blue stone. Red flecks can be seen inside the stone. As if on cue, the sun rays hit the blue stone and the necklace appeared to glow in a purple light. It was beautiful and mesmerizing piece of work.

"I don't know," Toph replied as she played with her bangs. "I'm blind," she waved her hand in front of her eyes.

"It's a Blue Ruby," Aang said as he stared at the beautiful stone. "It's very rare. Only to be found in the South Pole."

"It's beautiful," Ling whispered as she looked at the necklace. "What workmanship!"

"That has to be about fifty carats!" Suki replied as her eyes went wide. She began fiddling with the green pendent looking jealous.

"He cheated," Sokka said with annoyance. He began buttering his bread. "It's not even carved! I can't believe dad let him do that."

"What is_ it_ doing in Lord Zuko's belongings?" Vianne asked her voice sounded icy. She knew that they where ignoring her on purpose.

"Why are _you_ looking through my nephew's things?" Iroh asked as he stared at the woman. She gave him an icy look.

"Because they are _my_ things too," Vianne replied as she glared at the old man. In her mind, she was planning to send Iroh away once she becomes Fire Lady.

"Nothing is yours!" Iroh shouted as he stood up from his chair. Iroh's shouting startled the group.

"I think you should leave Lady Vianne," Mim said in a low voice. He stood up and pointed to the main entrance. "You have insulted my family and my guests since you came here. You are not welcome here."

"Fine," Vianne replied as she stared down Mim. Mim did not back away from the glare. "You keep forgetting that I _will_ become Fire Lady. Not the concubine."

"HER NAME IS KATARA!" Sokka roared as he jumped out of his seat. Suki had to pull the butter knife out of Sokka's hand. "She is Lady Katara of the Southern Water Tribe! Katara the Master Waterbender! Katara the Healer! Not concubine!" he was breathing hard after the rant.

Song came bursting into the great hall holding a note. She stopped instantly when she felt the icy cold tension that was in the room. Every head in the room snapped towards her direction and she flinched. She noticed that Sokka's face was purple and he was shaking. Song slowly walked to the table and saw a glowing necklace lying in the middle.

"Is there a problem Song?" Ling asked hoping that Song brought good news.

"They are not here," Song answered and she heard an audible gasp. "They left a note," she placed the crown and the necklace next to Ling's hand. "These where left behind."

"What did the note say?" Ling asked as she studied the objects that where placed next to her hand.

"I think you should read it," Song replied as she handed Ling the note. She gave a soft chuckle. "You won't believe me if I told you," Ling read the note and her dark eyes went wide.

"I think I should read this out loud," Ling said as she noticed the worried looks on her friends' faces. Vianne was the only one that did not look worry, she looked furious. Giving a triumphant smile towards Vianne, Ling cleared her throat before she read it.

_Friends,_

_We have decided to elope. _

_Love,_

_Katara and Zuko_

Ling thought the room was quiet after Sokka's rant now she was experiencing something deathly silent. She believed all the birds stopped chirping. All heads slowly turned to Sokka, waiting for him to react. The warrior did not say anything. He grabbed the necklace off from the table. Sokka walked around the group and stopped in front Vianne. He stared into her yellow eyes and held the necklace in front of her face.

"They have my blessing," Sokka said slowly and then he exited out of the room.

Vianne gave a loud scream and stormed out of the room. Everyone sat in silence until they heard a door slam. A huge breath of air was released from everyone's lips. Toph was the first to break the silence. She slammed her hand down with her palm up.

"Pay up Iroh," Toph grinned. "I told you that they would elope."


	4. Chapter 4

**This story might be longer than originally thought.**

**Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: Do Not Own.**

* * *

Esei ran into the kitchen holding a scroll that was just delivered a few minutes ago. Servants, guards, and gardeners stared at the girl as she tried to catch her breath. She stood up and fiddled with her black hair that came out of the bun. She took a deep breath before she spoke.

"I have news from General Iroh," Esei said as she watched everyone lean towards her. They wanted to know who won the bet. "Lord Zuko is engaged," she said wearily. Everyone cheered and gave one of the gardeners a pat on the back. Esei sighed; she did not want to be the messenger of bad news. "It's not Lady Katara," the room went silent.

"What do you mean it's not Lady Katara?" a guard asked with anger in his voice. Everyone in the kitchen showed the anger that the guard was feeling.

"I'm just reading what General Iroh wrote," Esei explained as she pointed at the scroll. "There's a scroll proclaiming that Lord Zuko is in an arranged marriage! Lady Song is coming to the Palace to research the validity of the scroll!"

"It has to be a fake!" one servant yelled. "Lord Azulon has banished the practice of arranged marriages!"

"Poor Lady Katara," a maid sniffed. "They were so in love."

"There's more!" Esei shouted as she tried to control the emotions in the kitchen. "General Iroh said that Lord Zuko's fiancée might be coming here. So we have to be on our best _behavior_," she gave an impish smile. Everyone stopped their grumbling and stared at Esei.

"I know that look!" the cook said as she stopped rolling the dough. "What else did General Iroh say?"

"Lord Zuko and Lady Katara are not at the Oracle's compound anymore," Esei replied. Her smile became an evil grin. "They ran away to elope," The kitchen was filled with grins matching Esei's.

"We must prepare Lord Zuko's fiancée's room," a maid said as she stood up. Her grin reached ear to ear. "I believe the west wing would be appropriate," everyone nodded with the suggestion. The maid quickly left the kitchen.

"Lady Song should stay in the Royal Wing," another maid added. "That would give her access to all the documents in the libraries and archives," just like the first maid, she quickly left the kitchen.

"I will talk to the Fire Sages," the guard announced. "Lady Song should have access to the Dragon's Catacombs," he clicked his heels and left the room.

"The rest of us will think of a plan to make the fiancée's stay a little more _comfortable_," the gardener said as he raised his glass. Everyone did the same. They saluted to Katara and Zuko before they took a drink. The gardener wrinkled his nose as he returned his glass to the table. "I can't believe I lost twenty gold pieces to Lady Toph," everyone laughed at the gardener.

* * *

Katara rolled over and her hand found an empty spot. A loud sigh escaped from her lips, it was all a dream. She was not at the compound, Zuko was not engaged to some horrible person, and they did not runaway. She was back at the Palace sleeping in her tiny bed that seems to be rocking. That thought made Katara woke up. Her bed at the Palace was huge and it does not rock. Sitting straight up, she noticed that she was in a cabin. She saw Zuko out of the corner of her eye. He sitting crossed legged on the floor with his hands on his knees. His eyes where closed and he was taking deep breaths. Katara knew that he was meditating.

"You're up," Zuko said without opening his eyes. He took another deep breath.

"According to your note," Katara teased as she stared at the mediating Zuko. His black hair was all over the place. "I was supposed to be waking up in your arms," a crooked smile appeared on his face.

"That's true," Zuko said as the smile disappeared. "But the cot is too damn small and my back is killing me."

"Old age is getting to you," Katara joked as she swung her legs over the edge of the cot. Bare feet touched the cold metal of the ship. She let out a hiss. Zuko chuckled at her but his eyes remained closed.

"You're a year younger," Zuko reminded. Katara stuck out her tongue at him. "That's mature," he replied. His eyes where still closed.

Katara stared at Zuko while he continued to meditate. She rarely has seen him do it in the past. Usually he was finishing when she woke up or he distance himself from the group. This was the first time that she was seeing him up close. His face looked like he was at peace. There were no tension or stress lines on his face. The four months of trying to negotiate peace had made Zuko looked a year older, also running a nation made him matured faster. Katara noted that his hair was much longer. It was almost brushing his shoulders and it hid his scar very well. Katara smiled at a memory when she decided to grow her hair longer and declaring that her boyfriend would not have longer hair than her. Zuko scoffed at the suggestion and said that he did not want his hair long because that would attract varmints. She froze him into the wall.

Katara started to think about the mediation. They sparred and have meals together when they get the chance but she never joined him in mediation. Then again, he never asked her. The black cloud came back to haunt her. Katara shook her head. She needed to control this rage that keeps popping up. She was not ready to forgive herself but she was afraid that she might start hurting people. Making up her mind, Katara stood up from the cot and sat in front of Zuko. Her knees touched his. She smiled to herself, she liked that she was this close to him.

"Is there something you want?" Zuko asked. He managed to raise an eyebrow while his eyes where still shut.

"Can you teach me?" Katara asked. This time Zuko opened his eyes and stared at her looking confused. "I want to learn how to mediate."

"Yeah," Zuko answered sounding surprised and happy at the same time. He watched as Katara mimic his posture. She placed her hands on her knees and waited for Zuko to continue. "Just close your eyes, take deep even breaths, and clear your mind."

"That's it?" Katara said feeling rather silly. She could figure that out herself.

"You want your breath to follow a pattern," Zuko answered seeing the doubt in her eyes. "Just focus on my breathing."

Katara watched Zuko closed his eyes and began to breathe deeply. She closed her eyes and began focusing on Zuko's breathing. Once she matched his pattern, she began to clear her mind by removing each nagging thought one by one. Her mind found emptiness and Katara was feeling calmness. She was at peace.

* * *

"Katara," Zuko asked as he kept his head down. They were walking through a busy market place. "What did you write in that note?"

Katara felt herself stiffen at the question. She thought Zuko would ask her that question when they where out at sea but after two days on being on the ship, she thought that Zuko simply forgot about it. She was wrong to think about that. Katara adjusted the brown bag that they purchased once the boat docked. She had to think of something quick.

"I told them that we ran away," Katara lied. Zuko slowly turned his head and gave her a surprised look. Katara switched the bag to her other shoulder.

"Oh," Zuko said as he quickly turned his attention to the ground. Katara wrinkled her brow. That was not the reaction she was expecting.

"What did you want me to say?" Katara asked. She could not put her finger on it but could Zuko be hiding something from her?

"Nothing," Zuko answered and quickly changed the subject. "We shouldn't stay in this town for long. How about you go and get some supplies?"

"What about you?" Katara asked as she pulled Zuko's arm and made him stop. "What are you going to do?"

"I'll find some transportation and a map," Zuko replied as he glanced around. "We can't ask for directions because someone might recognize us."

"Or if we are being followed," Katara said finishing Zuko's thought. He gave a grim nod. Katara sighed, they where on the run again. Instead from the Fire Nation it was from an ungrateful woman. Katara scanned the crowd. The ship docked at an Earth Kingdom port and even though there where some Fire Nation visitors, the couple still stood out. "I'll buy some clothes," she suggested and pointed at her outfit. "We won't stand out as much."

Zuko agreed and took some money that Katara offered. Katara agreed to meet Zuko at the stables in three hours. That should be enough time for Zuko to purchased some animals and have a course planned out. They went their separate ways.

* * *

It only took Katara a half an hour to find the necessary supplies. Dried fruits, jerky, bed rolls, two packs, and canteens was all Katara needed. She also purchased a tent for them. Katara shuddered when she thought about the times that she had to sleep without a shelter. Sleeping under the stars was nice but the insects and the constant change in weather made Katara swore to the moon spirits that she would never have to do that again.

Katara bit her lower lip as she stared at the vast amounts of fabrics. The color choices were not a problem. Her only choices were variety of shades of green and brown. The type of fabric was not a problem either. Cotton was easy to clean and care for. The problem was what to get. Katara never had a problem before because she only wore what was on her back. Now she was overwhelmed by the choices; shirts, skirts, tunics, pants, wraps, and robes. Katara cursed. This is where the two and half hours were going to be wasted.

"Need some help dear?" the saleslady asked breaking Katara's thoughts.

"Yes," Katara said. "I'm looking for some traveling clothes. A set for me and a set for my," she paused for a second before coming up with the answer. "Fiancé."

The saleslady smiled and helped Katara with the selections. Once the items where purchased, Katara asked if she could change in the back. The saleslady directed Katara to the back of the store. Katara put on her pants, adjusted her tunic, and buckled her boots. Tossing the Fire Nation clothes in the trash, Katara headed back to the front of the store. She thanked the kind saleslady and was about to leave when she noticed the dress. Two of them actually but one of them caught her attention.

"Pretty isn't it?" the saleslady said as she walked up to the first dress. The dress that she was referring to was beautiful. It was an elegant white kimono with green and gold designs. It reminded Katara the kimono that Toph wore when they first met her. "Made from the finest silk. It would make you a beautiful bride."

"That is beautiful," Katara agreed but she pointed at the second dress. "I was staring at this one."

The dress that caught her attention was simple. The neckline was cut to show only the neck and the collarbones and the sleeves where flared out at the end. The edges of the dress were embroidered with gold thread and a gold belt cinched the waist. What draw Katara to the dress was the color. It was the most beautiful sage color she ever seen.

"That one is lovely too," the saleslady nodded. "I love the color of the dress. Hard to find a girl to buy it."

"How come?" Katara asked as she touched the dress. It was made out of soft cotton.

"The color never flattered them," the saleslady said. She stared at Katara. "Your skin would complement the color beautifully and with your hair up, you would look lovely."

"It would," Katara said as she stopped touching the dress. "I shouldn't though. That would be considered an unnecessary purchased."

"Sometimes a girl needs to make one unnecessary purchase in their lives," the saleslady smiled. "If you don't, then you will regret it forever," Katara smiled at the statement. The saleslady was right on that.

"I'll buy it," Katara said as she turned to the saleslady.

* * *

Zuko gave one final grunt as he thrust the saddle onto the emu horse. The animal gave a squawk and nipped him. Biting back a curse, Zuko pushed the animal away and stormed out of the stall. He kicked a bucket and slammed his fist into a pole. Breathing hard through his teeth, Zuko cursed the spirits that put him in this situation. He was on the run again. This time he was not with uncle but with Katara. Zuko closed his eyes. This was not how he planned this proposal.

Zuko kept his eyes closed and thought about the events that happened since he became Fire Lord. The Water Tribes did not demand much and they supported the new Fire Lord. Especially from the Southern Water Tribe because of his relationship to Katara. Zuko smirked as he thought about the eventful two weeks he spent in the South Pole.

Chief Hakoda was not happy about the fact that Katara moved into the Palace and Zuko went through every water tribe endurance test. One endurance test sent Zuko through an ice cavern. That is where he discovered the blue ruby. When Zuko saw the stone, he knew that it would be perfect for the betrothal necklace. Chief Hakoda thought the same and threatened the boy about the stone.

_You are stupid man if you carved that stone. A blue ruby is rare itself and any markings on it would be a sin. _Even though he agreed with the comment, Zuko knew that the Chief was referring to his daughter.

Zuko was planning to propose at the compound. He decided to propose at the garden pond where he announced that he loved her. Zuko was going to do it during the full moon when the moon flowers where at bloom. A smile crept across his face when he thought about Katara lecturing him about how they should wait a year and yes that she will marry him.

"What are you thinking about?" a voice interrupted his thoughts. Zuko opened his eyes and saw Katara standing in front of him with supplies in her hands.

"Nothing," Zuko answered as he admired the outfit that Katara was wearing. She was wearing a green tunic with tan pants. She looked beautiful. Then again, Zuko thought Katara looked beautiful in any color.

"Okay," Katara gave a shrug. She handed him a bag of clothes. "Your clothes are in there. I should separate the supplies while you change."

Zuko took the bag and headed to an empty stall. He quickly changed into the dark green shirt and brown pants. He slipped on his boots and tossed his old clothes into the corner of the stall. There was no need to keep those. He walked out of the stall and saw the Katara already mounted on her emu horse.

"We need to head north," Zuko said as he swung onto his animal. It has been awhile since he rode an emu horse. "Norse is about four days from here."

Katara gave a nod and followed Zuko out of the stables. The couple trotted out of town and headed to the direction that they needed to go. They rode in silence. It was late afternoon when Katara broke the silence.

"Remember what Sokka said when we where in the woods?"

"Sokka said a lot of things in the woods."

"I'm talking about when he thought Ling was your ex-girlfriend," Katara turned to Zuko and gave him a grin.

"I remember that," Zuko said. He noticed that Katara's grin went bigger. "What are you getting at?"

"Well, there was Mai and that girl from Ba Sing Se," Katara grinned. Zuko let out a groan. "Sokka mentioned about the nurses that where flirting with you at the clinic, Gran Gran loves you and there is Vianne," Zuko heard the disdain in her voice.

"Your point?" Zuko said rather agitated. He could feel a headache coming.

"I'm just wondering if you have a girl at every port," Katara smiled. Zuko spun his head towards her and stared. He knew she was joking because her eyes where laughing at him.

"Shut up Katara," Zuko grumbled as he pinched the bridge of his nose. He has a headache.


	5. Chapter 5

**Timeline Alert: The Fortune Series follows right after The Oracle. The Oracle follows right after Boiling Rock. That means Souther Raiders and the Finale are not mentioned. Only tiny tidbits from the finale are used in this timeline. Importantly Zuko does not have the scar and Katara was not with him when he fought Azula.**

**Enjoy and Review!**

**Disclaimer: Do Not Own.**

* * *

Midnight was on them when they reached Norse. Storms had slowed down their travels and it took them five days to reach the tiny mining village. Katara was exhausted. Her eyes kept on fluttering as she tried to stay on her emu horse. Zuko had bags under his eyes as he forced himself to keep bending a flame in his hand. He created the flame since the sun went down. Katara was amazed; she did not have that much strength to keep her bending in motion for extended period of time. The couple trotted through the sleepy village until they stopped in front of the bakery. Zuko slid off his animal and helped Katara down. Zuko went to the door and pounded on it. Katara tired to keep standing as she waited for the door to open. No one came to the door and after a few minutes, Zuko pounded on the door again. He was about to pound on the door for a third time but the door swung opened showing a very disgruntled woman.

"You're a bit early for the bread," the woman said sourly. Her eyes darted between Katara and Zuko.

"We're sorry to awaken you," Zuko said as he opened his palms to show no harm. "We need to speak to the owner."

"I'm the owner," the woman spat. Katara stared at Zuko. She thought Lu Ten mentioned that the owner was a male.

"I was told that the owner was a man," Zuko replied voicing Katara's thoughts.

"My husband was the owner but he died three years ago," the woman said as she studied Zuko. "Who told you to see him?"

"Lu sent me?" Zuko meekly answered. The woman jerked her head back and her eyes went wide.

"Lu said that you would be coming," the woman smiled. "I thought that boy was crazy when he purchased that apartment. My name is Thalia."

"Lee," Zuko said. He extended his hand towards Katara. "This is," he could not think of a name for Katara.

"Sapphire," Katara quickly answered. Thalia gave Katara a warm smile while Zuko stared at her like she sprouted two heads.

"Nice to meet you two," Thalia said. She held up a finger. "Hold on for a minute. I'll be right back," she quickly went back into the bakery and after a few minutes, she returned holding an envelope. She handed Zuko the envelope. "Lu wanted to make sure that you get this. The key is in there and a letter. Let me show you where the apartment is at."

Thalia shut the door behind her and motioned the couple to follow her. They walked around the building and Thalia stopped at a flight of stairs heading to the second floor.

"I had a spare key so I can keep the place clean," Thalia said to the couple. "Just in case you showed up. The village's stable is not too far from here. You can put your animals there. Have a good night," with that she gave a nod and left the couple standing at the stairs.

"I'm a little creep out right now," Katara exclaimed as she wrapped her arms around her body.

"Join the club," Zuko answered. He gave the key to Katara. "Take the supplies in. I'll take the emu horses to the stable."

The apartment was more like a loft. There was a low table and several cushions suggesting a sitting area, a small kitchen area was nearby, and off to the far corner was a bed that can fit two comfortably. The only area that had privacy was the washroom. Thalia was true to her word about keeping the loft clean, there was no sign of dust. Seeing the bed, Katara dropped the supplies and walked towards it. She flopped onto the bed and closed her eyes. She did not care that she was dirty and smelly. Katara wanted to sleep for days. She heard Zuko walking into the loft and headed towards the bed. He gave her a push to move over and collapsed on the bed. Katara snuggled closer and placed her arm around his waist. She listened to his heartbeat for awhile before falling asleep.

* * *

"Sapphire?" Zuko snorted before he popped a dumpling in his mouth. Katara crossed her arms and gave him a glare. He gave her a shrug before continuing. "Where did you come up with that name?"

"When we where in the Fire Nation," Katara said as she picked at her rice. "Aang ended up in a school and Sokka and I pretended to be his parents. My name was Sapphire Fire," Zuko choked on his dumpling. Katara laughed at him as he banged on his chest.

"Seriously?" Zuko said once he could breathe again. "Sapphire Fire? That is the worst fake name ever!"

"Sokka's was Wang Fire," Katara countered. Zuko burst out laughing. It was still unnerving for her to see Zuko laughing.

"Let me correct myself," Zuko chuckled as he wiped the tear from his good eye. "Wang Fire is the worst fake name ever! Why do you and Aang encouraged him so much?"

"Sokka's plans work out," Katara defended but soon she started to giggle. "As odd as they are, they do work," then she changed the subject. "Did you read your cousin's letter?"

Zuko lowered his head as he concentrated on the bowl of rice in front of him. The couple slept until the late afternoon. Hungry, they headed into the village to find a place to eat. Once they found a restaurant, they ordered their food and began to talk. Katara and Zuko talked about everything. Patrons at the restaurant smiled at the young couple as they watched them interact. Whispers floated through the air commenting on young love.

"No," Zuko answered once he lifted his head up. Katara reached out and grabbed his hand. "I can't make myself to read it. I guess I'm afraid. The last nine months haven't been kind to me."

"How bad can it be?" Katara said giving a wry smile. "I mean you died, your ankle broke three times, and the whole Azula situation."

"Besides being forced into an arranged marriage?" Zuko replied dryly. He pulled the letter out of his shirt and gave it to Katara. "Maybe you should read it. It won't sound too bad if it came from you."

"That's disturbing," Katara commented but took the letter anyways. She opened the letter and began reading the contents loud enough for Zuko to hear.

_Zuko,_

_On your seventh birthday, the Oracle told me that I needed to protect you in the future. She did not elaborate but she did say that you needed to hide. I was already engaged to Ling and I had purchased the apartment for us. I figured the apartment would be the best place to hide you. That's why I showed you the secret passageway and the money. Something told me that you would be at the compound when you decide to runaway. You are with good people and Norse is very good at keeping secrets._

_May the spirits watch over you._

_Lu Ten_

Zuko was silent after Katara finished the letter. She could not think of anything to say as thoughts ran through her mind. Lu Ten was planning to elope but he changed his plans once the Oracle talked to him. Did the Oracle knew about the arranged marriage or that Lu Ten was going to die in battle? Katara knew her eyes were tearing up because Zuko lean forward and wiped a tear from her face with his thumb. She bit her lower lip as she stared into his eyes. They were filled with sadness.

"Zuko," Katara said as she tried to keep her voice steady. "I'm sorry."

"Don't be," Zuko whispered as he gave a deep sigh. He put his chopsticks down and pushed his bowl away. "I have to get used to this."

"What do you have to get used to?"

"That the Oracles and the spirits knew what's going to happen in my life," Zuko gave another sigh. Katara reached over and grabbed both of his hands. Zuko looked up and saw Katara smiling at him.

"You're a good man and a great leader," Katara whispered as she squeezed his hands. "The spirits and the Oracles won't go through all that trouble if they knew that you would be a bad man. Good things are going to happen with you."

"How do you know?" Zuko whispered back not letting go of the grasp.

"Because," Katara gave him a lovely smile. "I want to be there when the good things happen."

* * *

The Palace guards only saw a streak of blonde as Song ran through the corridors. She slid into a wall when she missed her turn. Scrolls scattered across the floor as Song fell on her bottom. She gave an angry grunt when she pushed her hair out of her face. Two guards appeared in front of her. One helped her up while the other picked up the scrolls.

"Lady Song! Are you alright?" the guard that helped her up asked.

"I'm fine," Song answered hastily. She twisted her long blonde hair into a bun.

"Do you have evidence on Lord Zuko's situation?" the guard with the scrolls asked.

"Yes," Song said as she grabbed the scrolls. The guards looked happy at the news. "I need the fastest form of transportation. I have to leave now!" she began running down the corridors.

"The old war balloons," the guard suggested as he followed Song. "They are smaller and lighter."

"Good," Song answered as she slid around the corner and avoiding the wall. "Are they ready to go?"

"Yes. Do you need assistance?"

"No," Song replied as she suddenly stopped. The guard almost ran into her. She pulled a scroll out of the bundle and handed it to the guard. "Find the fastest messenger hawk that Lord Zuko has. This needs to go to Master Mim."

"I thought you were heading to the Oracle's compound?" the guard said looking confused.

"I'm going to the Earth Kingdom. Just go!"

The guard kept his mouth shut and took the scroll. Giving a bow to Song, the guard ran off to the aviary. Song took a deep breath and began running to the platform where the airships are waiting. She took the smallest and lightest balloon that the Palace have and took off. Once in the air, Song closed her eyes. It has been a long time since she tracked someone.

* * *

"So this rat can track anyone?" Vianne asked as she raised her nose in the air. The smell from the creature was disgusting.

"Nayla is not a rat," June retorted as she rubbed the shirshu's head. She gave Vianne a glare. "If you want my help, its better not to insult my friend," Vianne gave a nod. "Good. So who are you looking for?"

"My fiancé," Vianne answered as she stared at the bounty hunter. "He was kidnapped by a crazed woman. My sources told me that they where last seen at this port."

"Sounds like your fiancé have cold feet," June chuckled as she watched the woman's face turned red. "Calm down, I'm kidding. Do you have anything from him? Nayla's needs a scent."

Vianne handed a silk shirt to June, a silk shirt that was taken from Zuko's belongings. The bounty hunter walked up to Nayla and placed the shirt in front of the animal's nose. The shirshu sniffed the shirt and began sniffing the air. Nayla gave a snort as it began pacing in circles.

"Interesting," June said as she began to smirk.

"What?" Vianne asked sounding disinterested.

"Nayla is picking up two scents from this shirt," June replied as she gave Vianne a wicked grin. "One is from your fiancé but the other is not from you."

"Can you still find him?" Vianne said ignoring the statement from June.

"Oh yes," June said as she swung onto Nayla. She extended her hand to Vianne. The woman took the hand and was swung onto the animal. "It will take awhile because of the storms but we should find him by the end of next week."

Vianne let her mind wandered as soon as the animal took off. She was almost at the Palace when she decided to turn the airship around and headed towards the Earth Kingdom. She knew that Katara and Zuko had a head start. It took twice as long to find June the bounty hunter. Vianne felt a smile spreading on her face. At the end, she would become the Fire Lady and Zuko would be punished.

* * *

When Mim saw the servant approaching the group in the courtyard holding a scroll. He thought that the scroll was for Iroh from the Palace. The old general has been corresponding with the staff making sure that Song had all the resources that she needed or if Vianne was staying. They have received news that Vianne was not at the Palace and that worried Mim. He began to worried more when the servant walked up to him and handed him the scroll. Mim thanked the servant and began to read the lengthy note. It was from Song and it was not good news. Everyone stopped what they where doing when they saw Mim frowned.

"What's wrong?" Ling asked as she tried to read over her husband's shoulder. "Is that from Song?"

"Yes," Mim said as he looked at the second page of the scroll. "There's some good news and bad news."

"What's the good news?" Aang asked as he sat down on the ground.

"Song proved that the scroll was a fake," Mim said as he moved to the third page. "Excellent forgery she said. If she didn't looked into it, then the prince would have been married."

"So Jerkface can marry my sister," Sokka said. Everyone stared at him with disbelief. "What? You honestly think that they elope? You know Katara better than that, she wants the necklace!" Suki scoffed at him.

"What's the bad news?" Toph asked as she felt Mim's heartbeat. "It's not good isn't it?"

"Vianne is from a noble family," Mim replied impressed over the blind earthbender's acute sense. "They have been dishonored a long time ago. Not allowed to set foot in the Palace."

"So why is that bad?" Sokka asked sounding confused. He had no clue what Mim was talking about.

"Her brother, Lie Ren, is an assassin," Mim replied looking disgusted. "Apparently the prince had given him an assignment."

"You mean Combustion Man?" Sokka exclaimed. "That guy tracked us all over the Fire Nation!"

"Combustion Man? That's the nicest name I heard about him!" Ling said now sounding angry. "Little One hired that maniac! How did he get out of that contract?"

"Zuko might have been responsible for his death," Aang said as he stared at the ground. "But Sokka hit him with boomerang!"

"Crazy sister is not after me!" Sokka shouted as he pointed at himself and then paused. "Why would Vianne want to marry him? If I was her, I want him dead."

"If she married him," Mim started as he felt a headache forming. "Then she can bring honor back to her family. She would be Fire Lady and be entitled to a lot of money."

"And if the Fire Lord had suddenly die in his sleep," Iroh said looking rather pale. The gang understood what Iroh was getting at.

"Floozy would rule the Fire Nation," Toph whispered. She slammed her fist into her hand. "What have to stop her!"

"We can't," Mim flinched when everyone gave him a dirty look. "If we leave now, then the nation would panic," he saw that Aang was going to protest. "Song is on her way to the Earth Kingdom. She's going to find them before Vianne."

"So all we can do is wait," Ling said sadly as she rubbed her belly.


	6. Chapter 6

**Sorry about the last chapter; major hiccups from my brain!**

**WARNING: Fluff, fuzzies, and everything sweet! Probably would give you a cavity.**

**Enjoy & Review!**

**Disclaimer: Do Not Own.**

* * *

Katara have been in Norse for almost a week and she had completely fallen in love with the tiny village. She loved how she could smell Thalia's baked goods in the morning and the busy marketplace. She loved that the villagers where friendly and greeted her on a daily basis. What she loved the most was the fact that she was with Zuko. They wake up early in the morning to meditate and then head off to a quiet area so they can spar. By midday, they are at the marketplace buying supplies or food. When the sun was finally setting, they have dinner together and talked through the night until sleep consumes them. It was perfect, it was romantic, and it was what Katara wanted. No titles, no duties, and no obligations. Just her and Zuko.

Today felt different than any other day. Katara could not put her finger on it but she felt like something wonderful was going to happen today. Sitting up on the bed, Katara gently brushed away a few long strands of hair off of Zuko's face. His nose wrinkled as he half-heartily flicked his hand to swat her hand away. She kept brushing away the strands until she saw his eyes flutter opened.

"Good morning," Katara smiled.

"Good morning," Zuko yawned as he gave a stretch. He slowly sat up and placed his back to the headboard. "You're up before me? That's a sure sign that the world is going to end," he teased. Katara punched his arm.

"Jerk," Katara laughed as she watched Zuko rubbed his arm and glared at her. She jumped out of the bed and began tugging on Zuko's arm. "Let's get the day started," she said excitedly. Zuko did not budge from his spot. "What's wrong?"

"I'm thinking we should skip the meditation and sparring today," Zuko replied as he tugged Katara back into the bed and into his arms. "Today is a special day. Why are you so happy?"

"I feel good about today," Katara said as she snuggled into his arms. "Why is today special?"

"Because," Zuko said as he ran his hands up and down her back. "Nine months ago, I realized that I was in love with you," Katara snapped her head up and stared at him. A huge grin appeared on her face as her blue eyes began to dance with excitement.

"Wow," Katara said as her grin continued to grow. "I thought Sokka was joking when he said that you remember stuff like that. Toph was right; I did turn you into a wimp!"

"I'm not a wimp," Zuko growled as he pinched the bridge of his nose. "What's wrong with a gentleman remembering things like that?"

"Are you going to recite sonnets to me?" Katara teased as she pushed herself away from him and began batting her eyelashes. Zuko gave a loud groan.

"I don't do sonnets," Zuko snorted as he rolled his eyes and crossed his arms. Katara laughed at the disgruntled Fire Lord.

* * *

"Zuko?" Katara asked as she walked up the stairs leading to their loft. Zuko stopped in front of her and gave her a look. "What did you mean when you realized that you loved me?" Zuko blinked at the waterbender.

It was a question that was plaguing Katara's mind since Zuko told her what today was. She tried to push the question out of her mind but as the day went on, the question continued to pound in her head. She felt hurt by his comment. She was in love with him since Ba Sing Se and he was in love with her nine months ago. A dark thought popped in her head suggesting that she should freeze the Fire Lord to the ceiling. Katara pushed the thought away even though it was tempting. Her mind was so full of worry that she decided to ask him when they returned from their walk. They were not even up the stairs when the question was blurted out.

"It means that it took me a long time to figure out that I loved you," Zuko replied as he started to walk up the stairs. Katara walked right behind him.

"Huh?" Katara was still confused. Zuko gave a sigh as he entered into the loft. He sat on a nearby cushion as he tried to explain his comment.

"After Ba Sing Se," Zuko started as he watched Katara sat down in front of him. "I was angry at myself for betraying you. I couldn't understand it," Katara opened her mouth to say something but he cut her off. "I was thinking about you all the time. When I went to the Western Air Temple, I only wanted your forgiveness. After Boiling Rock, I was glad that you were kind to me. I secretly enjoyed that you were able to heal and comfort me when I was having those nightmares. Sometimes I dreamt that you kissed me before you left my room," he noticed that Katara blushed. "I couldn't understand this feeling I had until I saw you at the clearing. You were upset and scared for me. I wanted to protect you from all the pain and that's was when I knew that I loved you. I've always loved you."

Katara was speechless as she stared at the firebender. Zuko was never the type of person that talked about how he felt. The last time he talked about his feelings was the morning before he fell into the cavern with Sokka. Katara just sat there watching Zuko run his hand through his hair and muttering something under his breath. The poor Fire Lord was starting to panic. Her mind was screaming at her to say something but she could not say a word. Her heart screamed; _he loves me! He really loves me!_

Katara did not know how she was able to move her body, but she managed to crawl up to Zuko and grabbed his chin. He stopped his muttering and stared into her eyes. She loved how his amber colored eyes turned into a honey color. They were filled with love, desire, passion, and other emotions that she could not think of. After admiring his eyes, Katara leaned in and gave him a kiss. Any doubts or fears that Zuko had left him as Katara made the kiss deeper. He pulled Katara into his lap as he wrapped his arms around her making sure that there was no space between the two. Katara instantly threaded her hands into his hair and pulled his head closer to hers. She could feel the low growl that was vibrating in his chest. The two eventually came up, gasping for air as they pressed their foreheads together. Their panting matched the beat of their hearts.

"I have a question now," Zuko panted as he placed Katara's legs around his waist. Her muttering tickled his neck as she nuzzled into it. "Why do you love me? You should have every reason to hate me," she muttered something into his neck again and Zuko asked to repeat it.

"I've never hated you," Katara repeated realizing that her voice sounded too husky. Zuko looked at her with disbelief. "It's true," she defended. "I wanted to hate you, I really do. You hurt me so much," she heard Zuko cursed under his breath. "In reality, I was mad. That's why I took it out on you."

"So threatening to kill me?" Zuko drawled out.

"All talk," Katara smiled as she snuggled into his chest. "You should know that by now," she heard a snort.

"Sokka_ is_ all talk," Zuko chuckled as he kissed the top of her head. "You actually _do_ what you say."

"You were afraid of me?" Katara mocked. "The banished prince of the Fire Nation was afraid of a Water Tribe peasant?"

"I wasn't afraid," Zuko defended. "I was just concerned for my well being."

"Liar," Katara smirked as she raised her head up. Her face became serious when she cupped her hands to his face. "Even though I was angry, I never stopped loving you," she said breathlessly. A huge grin appeared on Zuko's face. Suddenly he tried to move but Katara's wrapped legs tighten around him.

"I'll be back," Zuko groaned as he reluctantly removed her legs away from his waist and stood up. He saw the confusion in her eyes and gave her a sly smile. "I have to get something and then we will get something to eat."

Zuko bend over and gave Katara a quick kiss before leaving the loft. She gave a soft sigh and placed her elbows on the table. Zuko was not known for giving surprises but he did say that today was special. A small frown appeared on her face, she hated surprises. It was only a few minutes and she became bored. To past the time, she decided to bring out the dress that she purchased and tried it on.

* * *

Katara was humming as she twisted the chocolate tresses into a bun and stared into the washroom mirror. The saleslady was right, she did look beautiful with her hair up and the color of the dress did compliment her skin. Wishing that she had purchased a clip or a comb, Katara let her hair tumbled around her shoulders. She headed out of the washroom and began to look for the gold slippers that she had purchased at the marketplace a couple of days ago. Katara sat on the bed and slid her feet into the delicate shoes. She felt herself getting giddy when she stared at her gold covered feet. Katara felt beautiful and she could not remember the last time she felt like that.

"Where did you get the dress?" a voice asked. Katara stopped wiggling her feet and turned to the person that have spoken. Zuko was leaning against the doorframe with his arms crossed. A smirk appeared on the side of his face.

"I bought it when we were at the port," Katara started as she stood up. "I know I shouldn't have bought it but it was really pretty and I really wanted it."

"You look beautiful," Zuko said. "I'm glad that you bought it," Katara felt herself blush

"What's that?" Katara pointed at a small wrapped package in Zuko's hand. A nervous smile appeared on his face as he led Katara to the floor cushions.

Zuko handed her the small package once Katara was comfortable on the cushion. He nodded to her to open it while he sat down. Excited about getting a gift, Katara ripped the brown paper and let out a loud gasp. In her hand was a wooden hair comb. The wood was cherry and the entire comb was carved with tiny delicate flowers. Katara had seen the flowers blooming all over the Earth Kingdom during her travels.

"It's beautiful!" Katara squealed making Zuko winced at the high pitch noise. "Are these pansy violets?" Before he could answer her, Katara began sweeping her hair up into a bun. She was about to place the comb in her hair when Zuko gently took her hands and lowered them to her lap.

"I want to tell you something," Zuko said as he took a deep breath. He opened his mouth but nothing came out. Giving a frown, Zuko opened his mouth again but only a strangle noise came out.

"Zuko," Katara asked noticing that the Fire Lord was getting upset. "What is it?"

Zuko tried to speak again but he could not get the words out. It was like his brain was disconnected from his mouth. He silently cursed at the spirits for this. He believed that he was being punished for laughing at Sokka's ordeal when he was trying to propose to Suki. Zuko gave a loud groan and placed his head on the table. He wanted to pound his head into the table.

"Zuko?"

"I made you a necklace!" Zuko shouted as he snapped his head up. Katara jumped back looking startled. He could see the confusion and happiness in her eyes. "I made you a necklace," he repeated in a lower voice. "But it's at the compound."

"Okay," Katara said as she clutched the hair comb to her chest. She could feel her heart slamming into her ribs.

"That's why I'm giving you the hair comb," Zuko said as he pulled her hands away from her chest. His hands slowly enclosed over the comb and her hands. "It's a Fire Nation tradition but the point is still the same."

"Zuko," Katara whispered as she looked at his face. She could feel the excitement coursing through her veins. She knew what Zuko was saying but she wanted him to say the words. She contained the laughter that was bubbling in her throat. She loved seeing the firebender uncomfortable. "Just say it."

"Marry me," Zuko said hoarsely. "Be my wife."

"No," Katara never thought Zuko's face can match her dress. She could see the hurt and anger fighting in his eyes.

"Is it because you want the necklace?" Zuko asked sounding very upset. He pointed at the comb. "I know it's not much but you'll have the necklace."

"It's not that," Katara laughed but quickly stopped when she saw him winced. She had to quickly explain before Zuko would set the loft on fire. "I told everyone that we elope," she noticed the confusion was still on his face but then a crooked smile appeared.

"Are you serious?" Zuko's face was returning to normal. His eyes bore into hers to see if she was lying. When he realized that she was telling the truth and bigger smile appeared. "Is that what you really want?" Katara knew that Zuko liked the idea.

"Yes," Katara said with a serious voice. A playful smile appeared on her face. "Besides I'm already dressed for a special occasion. All I need to know is do I wear the hair comb before or after the ceremony?"

* * *

The wedding was a simple affair. Katara and Zuko stood in the magistrate's parlor holding each other's hands. The magistrate stood in front of them and his wife stood off to the side dabbing her eyes as she watched the ceremony. Katara gave a laugh when she saw the magistrate choke on his words when Zuko said his name during the vows. Eyes widen at the couple when the magistrate realized that he was marrying the Fire Lord and the Master Waterbender. He tried to bow at the couple but they quickly stopped him and explained to him that they wanted an informal wedding.

Once the magistrate regained composure, the ceremony continued. Zuko repeated his vows and Katara said hers. When it was time to present the hair comb as a promise of the vows that have taken place, Katara felt the tears running. She saw that Zuko clenched his jaw as his hands went behind her neck and gently pulled her hair up into a bun. The hair comb was placed into the bun with shaky hands. Katara wrapped her arms around Zuko's neck and kissed him passionately before the magistrate could pronounced them husband and wife.

During the time between the kiss and the signing of the scroll that the Earth Kingdom recognized the marriage between Katara of the Southern Water Tribe and Zuko of the Fire Nation, the magistrate's wife snuck out of the house and announced the marriage of the young couple. Katara chuckled while Zuko groaned at the sight when they walked out of the magistrate's home. The villagers let out a huge cheer once they saw the couple and lead them to their impromptu wedding feast. Katara heard Zuko mumbled out a curse as they were seated at their table. She knew that the Fire Lord hated crowds and parties but since the villagers went out of their way for the feast, Katara figured that he had to just sit through it. Katara laughed even harder at the pained expression on his face when he realized that they were not leaving anytime soon.

The sun was starting to set when the couple snuck away from the feast. The music was slowly fading away as they walked back to the loft. They have not reached the stairs when Zuko pulled Katara in for a kiss. She shivered as she felt the intensity of the kiss. She could sense the urgency and the love in it and she gladly returned the feeling. Katara did not remember being picked up and carried up the stairs. She vaguely remembered Zuko slamming his big toe into the leg of the low table making him curse at everything ranging from the spirits to Aang. She could not understand how their clothes were removed when their lips never parted. She did remember the arrogant smile that he made. She loved the sound he made when he whispered her name; it was hoarse but husky. And before she fell asleep wrapped in his arms, she thought about the titles that made him. He was the prince, the banished prince, the enemy, the mentor, the traitor, the Fire Lord, and now husband. Katara smiled as she thought about the last title. Husband; she loved that title most of all.


	7. Chapter 7

**Glad everyone liked the last chapter. Sorry this took so long, I had a lot of mini-chapters running through my mind that had to get out. Don't think I'll be posting those.**

**Enjoy & Review!**

**Disclaimer: Do Not Own.**

* * *

"We have only been married a little over a week now," Zuko grumbled as he pinched the bridge of his nose. His headache was pounding in his ears. "And you are now worried about the political ramifications!"

"Think about it," Katara pointed out as she adjusted the basket that she was carrying. It was a silly point that she was making. She knew that Zuko did not marry her for political reasons but that would not stop the world thinking that. "The Earth Kingdom would believe that the Southern Water Tribe and the Fire Nation are in an alliance."

"We are in an alliance!" Zuko shouted. Everyone in the marketplace stopped their chattering and stared at the couple. Zuko's face went red while the villagers went back to their chattering. "We are in an alliance," he repeated in a quiet voice. "It's called the trade agreement."

"The Earth Kingdom would think you are playing favorites," Katara said as she checked out the fruit stand. She purchased some kumquats and thanked the vendor. "You did agree to the Water Tribes demands."

"They wanted their warriors to return and trade their goods," Zuko replied as he plucked the orange fruit out of the basket. "Those were simple demands! The Earth Kingdom representatives are demanding more. What makes it worse is that my council wants to keep all the land that my family conquered," with that he popped the fruit in his mouth.

"Keeping all the land will not help with the peace talks," Katara thought out loud. Zuko gave a nod and took another kumquat. "But returning all the land would seriously destroy the Fire Nation's economy and displace a lot of people," she gave a frown. She never thought working for peace would be so hard.

"That is why I'm meeting the Earth King next month," Zuko replied as he studied the kumquat. "We both believe we can reach a compromise that would benefit each nation. You should come to the meeting. It would be nice to have a fresh mind during the discussions."

"You just want me to come so you can stare," Katara teased. Zuko gave a shrug and ate the fruit. Katara was excited about being involved with the upcoming meeting. Her recent travels made her realized that she enjoyed politics.

They continued on with their shopping as they discussed meetings, their travels, if Ling gave birth to Nut, and if Mim passed out or if Iroh was spoiling the infant. Zuko thanked the spirits that Iroh would be leaving them alone for awhile because the old general has a grandchild to spoil. Katara had to jest that Iroh would be begging them to have a son. She burst out laughing when Zuko's face went white and quickly reassured him that there would be no children until the later years. Someone stepped between the couple and wrapped their arms around them.

"I had a feeling it would be you," the voice whispered between Katara's and Zuko's heads as the couple was lead away from the marketplace.

* * *

"I was expecting you to be with your creepy grandpa," June said as she pulled Katara and Zuko behind a building. "Not your girlfriend."

"She's not my girlfriend," Zuko snapped but did not correct the bounty hunter about Iroh.

"Right," June scoffed as she crossed her arms. "You just let random girls wear your clothes," she saw Katara's face went bright red.

"She's my wife."

"Your wife?" June answered sounding quite surprise. "Your fiancée told me that a crazed woman took you. Obviously she can't handle rejection."

"That woman is not my fiancée," Zuko growled.

"You found us," Katara said through clenched teeth. "Now what?" her eyes darted at the rain barrel that was not too far from them. There was enough water to use if she needed it.

"I'm taking hubby with me," June smirked. "Crazy fiancée paid me a lot of money to find him."

"What about me?" Katara asked. She made sure that June did not see her hand moving.

"You remembered the last time Nayla touched you."

June barely finished her sentence when Katara attacked. The rain barrel burst and the water wrapped around June's body. With a huge swing of her arm, the water pulled June against the wall and instantly froze. Zuko grabbed Katara's hand and ran off into the marketplace. He pushed people out of the way as they ran down the narrow aisles. He heard Katara apologizing to people that he knocked down. His mind was racing on how to get out of this village before Vianne find them. He kept on swerving around the customers until he ran into something that was green and pale yellow. Katara ran into Zuko and the couple fell on top of the person.

"Oomph," the feminine voice huffed as she landed on her bottom.

"Sorry," Katara quickly apologized while Zuko pulled her to her feet. "Song!" her blue eyes went wide as she recognized the Oracle's guard in front of her.

"My Prince," Song said as she stood up. She brushed her blonde hair back and dusted off her clothes. "Lady Katara," Katara flung herself into the woman's arms and gave her a big hug. "I apologize for not dropping to my knees and giving you a proper bow," a crooked grin appeared on her face.

"Song, you never did in the past. Why should you start now?" Zuko answered as he pulled Katara's arms off of Song. The warrior gave a laugh then quickly became serious.

"Follow me," Song ordered as she motioned the couple to follow her. Katara grabbed Zuko's hand and followed the guard out of the marketplace and towards a secluded area. Once she knew that they where not being followed, Song turned to the couple. "You are being tracked," she said as scanned the surroundings.

"We know," Katara answered. "A bounty hunter named June found us. I think Vianne is here."

"I know June," Song said as she fiddled with her sleeves. "We used to work together."

"You were a bounty hunter?" Zuko said sounding shocked.

"We had to go on our separate paths when your cousin died," Song said icily. Katara took the hint that she did not want to elaborate. "I was a good bounty hunter. I found you two without any help," she could not help but give a smug smirk.

"The scroll?" Katara asked praying that Song had good news.

"Excellent forgery," Song said without looking at Katara. Her eyes seemed to be focused on something from a distance. "But you," Song pointed at Zuko. "Should think things through before killing assassins."

"Excuse me?" Zuko narrowed his eyes. He did not like the tone that Song was using.

"Vianne is Lie Ren's sister," Song said with disgust. Zuko's face began to pale. "She wants your money and throne because you killed her brother."

"Who's Lie Ren?" Katara called out clearly confused.

"Remember that day I came to the Western Air Temple?"

"How could I forget?" Katara screeched making Zuko flinched. "You wanted to join us and then that crazy guy came and attacked us," her face paled when the realization came. "Lie Ren was Combustion Man?"

"Combustion Man?" Song's eyes widen at the name. "That's interesting. Was that Master Sokka's suggestion?"

"One of them," Katara giggled. "The first choice was Sparky Boom Boom Man."

"Seriously?" Zuko snorted. "Was that before or after he came up with Wang Fire?"

"Who?" Song said but stopped to shake her head. "I don't want to know. I have to get you two out of here before Vianne finds you. Lie Ren was a dangerous man and I don't know what kind of power that Vianne has."

"Let me show you."

Three heads snapped towards the direction of the new voice. Standing not too far from them was Vianne. She was giving an ugly smile as her hand created a ball of mass energy. Katara could hear the crackling sounds as she watched the energy ball continued to grow to the size of a melon. Vianne's smile went larger when she saw the question that was etched in Katara's eyes.

"It's a Firebomb, concubine," Vianne simply said and threw the ball at the trio.

* * *

"What the," the rest of Katara's sentence was not heard as she was dragged away from the firebomb.

"That's a very unladylike word," Song commented as she clutched Katara's hand.

"She's my wife," Zuko growled as he followed the girls. "She can say anything she wants!"

Katara's mind was spinning. Everything slowed down when Vianne threw the firebomb at them. The crackling mass of energy was flying towards her and then suddenly it was stopped by a wall of flames. Not the usual red flames or blue flames that she was accustomed to but a wall of gold flames. It was beautiful, it was powerful, and it was scary. Song quickly reacted by grabbing Katara's hand and pulled her away from the flames. She dragged the waterbender away from the village with Zuko closely behind him. Katara could hear those energy balls whizzing over her head.

Song ran into the forest still clutching Katara's hand. They kept on running until the sparsely trees became dense. Song came to a complete stop and started to catch her breath. Katara fell to the ground as she tried to stop her racing mind. She had seen the gold flame before and she was trying her best to remember. She knew that Ling could make different color flames by using her emotions but she was at the compound ready to give birth to her daughter. Her thoughts went back to the day when a solider tried to attack her with a knife. A gold fireball engulfed the man into flames. She remembered looking towards the direction the fireball came from.

"Zuko!" Katara yelled when the realization hit. Song stopped her panting and stared at Katara. "Zuko created the gold flame!"

"Yes he did," Song replied looking quite surprised. "The gold flame is a sign of a powerful bender," she continued to talk through her panting. "It takes a lot of strength to create that color of flame. Apparently the prince had been practicing for a long time. You never noticed?"

"When did I have the chance to notice?" Katara shouted as she placed her hands on her hips. "I was fighting him at all hours of the day! You would think that a firebender would be the weakest during the night!"

"They are," Song pointed out. A hint of a smile was appearing on her face. "Then again, waterbenders are the weakest during the day."

Katara was about to make a retort but quickly shut her mouth. Song's comments kept repeating in her mind. She swore she could her someone laughing in the back of her head and then she heard the words that Aunt Wu spoken to her.

_I see a great romance in your life_. Memories flashed in front of Katara's eyes. The first time she saw Zuko at the South Pole, when he tied her to a tree, their heated fight at the North Pole, the caves in Ba Sing Se, his betrayal, her threatening him, Sokka and him returning from Boiling Rock with her father, the nightmares that he had, the clearing, when he declared his love during an argument, their conversations when the sun was rising, his offer to move to the Palace, him agreeing to the wear the blue parka, his little notes, and his proposal. Everything that they did was filled with passion including the times that they were sworn enemies.

_You will marry a powerful bender._ A gasp escaped from her lips. He stood his ground in the North Pole, his body erupted in flames but he was never scarred, he took a lightning strike from his father, he created flames when he was injured and was able to create a flame during the night without pausing. Katara felt her palm connected with her head. It never dawned on her that Zuko was a powerful bender even when Sokka told her what happened during the final battle. She just never gave it a thought because she was happy to be part of Zuko's life.

"Lady Katara?" Song asked sounding very concern. She watched the girl smacked her forehead and mumbled something that sounded like _stupid fortune teller_. "Lady Katara?" Song repeated. This time she got Katara's attention. "It appears that the prince is lost."

Katara blinked at Song a couple of times before the words register in her brain. She looked around and noticed that Zuko was not with them. Off to her right she heard a loud boom and the sound of trees falling to the ground. A frown appeared on her face as she began running towards the direction of the noise.

"I'm going to kill him if he makes me a widow!"


	8. Chapter 8

**Enjoy & Review!**

**Disclaimer: Do Not Own.**

* * *

It was a stupid plan, not one of his best. It was almost as bad as one of Sokka's brilliant plans. Except Sokka's plans seemed to work out in a strange dumb way. Zuko's plan was going to get him killed. Then again, a lot of his plans almost got him killed. The simple plan when he worked with the pirates, his ship blew up. The carefully crafted plan of rescuing Aang from Zhao, he thanked the spirits that his mask was made out of metal. The brilliant plan of surrendering at the Western Air Temple, he completely forgot that his lovely waterbender would be pissed. And finally the smart ass comment that enraged Ozai, that one did get him killed. Somewhere in the back of his mind he could hear Iroh's voice saying _you never think these things through!_

_Katara is going to kill me if I make her a widow!_ Zuko thought as he dived behind a boulder. He concluded that Iroh was right. He did not figured in the part when Katara found out that he died. She would bloodbend his heart to start and then ripped him into shreds.

Vianne continued on with her assaults. She hurled firebomb after firebomb at Zuko's hiding spot. She showed no sign of fatigue or slowing down. Her goal was to kill the Fire Lord and she decided to kill him now than later.

"Stop hiding you sad excuse of a Fire Lord!" Vianne screamed as she prepared a firebomb in her hand. "Don't you want to fight your betrothed?"

"You are not my betrothed!" Zuko shouted behind the rock. Her response was a firebomb exploding over his head.

_Yeah, this has to be the stupidest plan ever!_ Zuko screamed at himself. Something caught the corner of his eye. He turned his head to see what caught his attention. At first he thought it was nothing but then he saw it again. It was tan and wearing green. He let out a loud curse. His stupid plan just became moronic.

_She is going to be the death of me!_

* * *

It was not the sight that Katara wanted to see. Standing on the other side of the clearing was Vianne and she was preparing a firebomb. Crouching behind a boulder was Zuko and the look on his face said it all. His good eye was wide when he noticed her standing at the edge of the clearing and then narrowed it. She knew that look because he always gave it to her when he was chasing them and after he joined the group. It was the look that made her shiver and made his amber eyes glow.

It was the look that said _you are going to be the death of me_!

"KATARA!"

Katara snapped back to reality when her back hit the ground. She felt a heavy weight on top of her and heard an explosion. She did not know that her eyes were closed and when she opened them, she was staring into a pair of angry amber orbs.

"You didn't think this through," Zuko whispered harshly.

"Neither do you," Katara retorted.

Zuko pulled Katara up to her feet but quickly pushed her away when another firebomb whizzed by them. The explosion sent Zuko flying backwards into a tree and Katara into the ground. Katara slowly got to her feet and began quickly pulling water out of the air. Her eyes darted to Zuko who was lying against the tree holding his ankle.

"Are you okay?"

"I think the ankle is broken!" Zuko grumbled and then his eyes went wide. "Look out!"

Katara managed to twist her body away from a firebomb and threw ice daggers at Vianne. The woman quickly crouched to the ground as the daggers flew over her head. She began forming another firebomb and Katara pulled the water out of the trees that had fallen. The two women stare at each as they went to their fighting stances.

"You don't have a chance concubine," Vianne sneered. "Just walk away now and I won't tell anyone that you let Lord Zuko die."

"Don't you dare call me concubine," Katara snarled. She bent the water around her arm. "And I don't walk away from people that need me."

Vianne let out a primal scream and chuck the firebomb at Katara. Being prepare this time, Katara shot out her arm and the water blasted the firebomb away. Her other hand began pulling more water out of the fallen trees. The water covered her fingers and quickly turned to ice. She threw them at Vianne. A smirk appeared on her face when one of the daggers grazed Vianne's right cheek. The older woman gave a shriek and took a step back. Katara could see the hatred burning in Vianne's eyes.

"You will pay for that concubine!" Vianne spat and she wiped the blood away.

"You should really stop calling me that," Katara countered. "I'm the Fire Lady now."

Katara was expecting another firebomb hurling at her. She was not expecting the woman to throw a knife. Her body froze when she saw the sharp object flying towards her. Her mind screamed to move but Katara could not make her body function. Just as she was about to say her final goodbye, a gold wave of flames came between her and the knife. The knife instantly melted when it hit the flames.

The two women breathed heavily as they glared at each other. At the same time, they slowly turned to the direction to see the source of the gold flame. Katara was shock to see the state that Zuko was in. He was breathing hard and looked like he was in pain. He was still lying at the base of the tree and a small red fireball was in his hand.

The black cloud began to form when Katara saw the cut on her husband's head. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Vianne giving her a murderous look. She saw the woman's fingers twitch. Letting the black cloud consume her, Katara made her move. Fingers moved in the air but Katara did not bend the water, she focused on the blood in Vianne's body.

Vianne moved her hands but quickly stopped. Katara could feel the blood pumping and the fear growing in the woman. Her smirk quickly disappeared when she realized that she was a second too late. Vianne was able to throw a knife at Zuko before Katara took control of her body. Still holding Vianne in her grasp, Katara watched in horror as the knife flew in the air. A flash of blonde appeared in front of Zuko and took the knife in full force. Katara felt light headed as the black cloud quickly left her body and before she passed out, she managed to throw Vianne into a tree.

* * *

Katara saw the familiar surroundings of the loft when she opened her eyes. Her head was pounding and she instantly pinched the bridge of her nose. She finally understood why Zuko did this. The gesture soothed her aching head. She felt a warm pressure on her temple. Instead of turning to the source of the pressure, Katara swung her hand and it made a slapping sound. Then she heard a loud curse.

"Remind me to never do that again," Zuko grumbled as he rubbed his left cheek. Katara winced at the red handprint mark already on his scar.

"Sorry," Katara smile sheepishly. She slowly sat up and rubbed her head. Her eyes darted to the cast that was being propped up by a pillow.

"You broke your ankle," Katara said and pointed at the cast. "Isn't that your fifth time you broke it?"

"Fourth," Zuko corrected and he shifted his leg to a comfortable position. He wrapped his arm around Katara's shoulder. "I swear, I think the spirits love hurting me."

"What happened?"

"You bloodbended," Zuko answered. He pulled Katara closer when he saw her bit her lower lip. "You threw Vianne head first into a tree and then you passed out. I thought you can only bloodbend during a full moon."

"I do bloodbend during the full moon," Katara answered. Her head hung low as she began recalling the events. "I let that dark feeling take over me," her eyes widen at a thought. "The knife!"

Katara was on her knees and began opening Zuko's shirt. The movement was so quick that he did not have the chance to open his mouth or move Katara's hands away from his shirt. Katara did not care that the shirt was ripped. She wanted to make sure that there was no wound on his body. She would not forgive herself if Zuko was injured because of a mistake. She was so focused on finding the wound that she did not hear the door opening and noticed that Zuko stiffen.

"This is the second time I caught you two doing something inappropriate," a voice rang out. There was a hint of laughter in the voice.

"Song," Zuko grumbled as he tried to swat Katara's hands. "It's not what it looks like."

"Then what does it look like my prince?"

"The knife!" Katara cried out. "Vianne threw a knife!"

"The knife went into my shoulder," Song replied. Katara turned around and saw Song and Thalia standing in their sitting area. Song's right shoulder was bandaged up. "Good thing I like you my prince."

"I thought he was the Fire Lord," Thalia asked. Katara could not help thinking that Thalia reminded her of someone.

"He is," Song answered giving a silly smile. "But he will always be my prince, Auntie."

"Auntie?" Zuko said sounding quite shock.

"My mother came from Norse," Song laughed and Thalia joined her. "She married my father, who was an Oracle Guard. Actually my father was Lu Ten's mother's cousin."

"Her mother was my sister," Thalia smiled. Katara saw the resemblance in the smiles. Zuko sat there with his jaw opened.

"Lu never mentioned that in the letter didn't he," Song frowned as she read Zuko's expression. "What an idiot," she gave a loud sigh. "Forgetful like his mother."

"You knew about this?" Zuko said with annoyance.

"Of course," Song said as she checked her nails. "I was the one that suggested that Lu should buy the apartment for him and the Oracle. He told me later that you would need the apartment and I should find you when the time comes," Song laughed when she saw the blank stares from the couple.

"Let's go dear," Thalia said and grabbed Song's good arm. "Let's leave the couple alone."

Song gave a wave to the couple and was lead out of the door by Thalia. Katara fell into Zuko's arms as she tried to figure out what just happened. Zuko looked just as perplexed as her. He let out a huge sigh and placed his chin on top of Katara's head.

"The spirits are enjoying this," Zuko murmured.

* * *

_I want what is rightfully mine._

Zuko felt his blood pressure rising when he read the note. The familiar handwriting gave him an idea who it came from. What made his blood boil was that person should not even exist anymore. He burned the note in his hand. He will have to talk to the guards about this. No one was allowed to enter the study without his permission.

"What did you burn?"

Zuko raised his head and saw Katara standing at the door. She was wearing a light blue kimono made from the finest silk. Her long brown hair curled down her back except for the hair that was framing her face. It was gathered back into a bun at the crown of her head and secured by her Fire Nation crown. Graced around her neck was the large blue ruby. With all the finery that she was wearing, Zuko preferred the simple green dress and the wooden hair comb holding her hair back.

"Nothing," Zuko said gruffly.

Katara narrowed her eyes and then she softened them. Zuko knew she would ask later and he was planning to tell her later. Just today was not the day for her to worry. Today was their wedding day and her coronation. Today the Fire Nation and the world were celebrating their marriage. What the world and the Fire Nation did not know was that they have already been married for a month.

"Are all Fire Nation weddings that long and boring?" Katara smirked as she walked up to him. She smoothed his robes and gave him a peck on the cheek. "I almost fell asleep when the Sages were talking about Agni and his place in the world."

"Only the special ones," Zuko wrapped his arms around Katara's waist. "Then again, you wanted the Water Tribe Shamans there. What the hell were they talking about? They kept going on and on about Tui and La and the pull of the tides. I heard snoring from the crowd."

"That was Toph," Katara laughed. "Apparently we bored her."

"Well at least you had your perfect wedding," Zuko said without thinking. He winced when he felt a finger flicked his forehead. His usual scowl came back as he rubbed the sore spot. "What was that for?"

"You can be so dense," Katara said with annoyance. "You honestly think that this was my perfect wedding?" her hand went inside her kimono and pulled out the wooden hair comb. Zuko felt his pride growing when he saw the delicate craved comb in her hands. He never thought that something that was purchased from a vendor could hold so much meaning for him. "This was my perfect wedding," she tapped the comb on his nose. "It was simple and there were no titles. This wedding was to make your council happy. Plus I wanted to see how extravagant it can get before the council had a say in the planning."

"And?"

"I had to end it," Katara shook her head while she laughed at the memory. "Sokka got involved and there was an idea about using Bosco and Momo juggling on a unicycle over an open flame."

"Seriously?" Zuko raised an eyebrow.

"Seriously."

Zuko gave a laugh and leaned in for a kiss. Katara happily accepted. The two lovers enjoyed their brief private moment and they let their kiss go deeper.

"Oh gag!" a voice rang out behind them. Zuko and Katara glared at the intruder that interrupted them. Standing at the entranceway was Toph dressed in her finest. "I'm going to puke if this goes any sweeter," a wicked grin appeared on her face. "Sugar Queen if you make Sparky any wimpier, I'm going to kill you!"

"Is there something you want, Toph?" Katara growled at the smirking earthbender. Zuko could see the fire burning in her blue eyes.

"Nope," Toph lazily said as she gave a stretch. "Just making sure that you two didn't skipped out on your wedding celebration. Then again you two have been celebrating for over a month now," a larger grin appeared. "It looks like I'm going to win that second bet!"

"Which is?" Zuko said nervously. The newly married couple just found out about the last bet that everyone was making.

"A spawn of Sparky in nine months," Toph said cheekily. Zuko felt his knees giving out. Thankfully Katara was standing next to him to catch him. Toph laughed even harder. "I better get back to the party. Snoozles is still upset that you two got married before him, twice!" Toph gave another laugh and left the study.

"I should ban gambling," Zuko grumbled as he tried to straighten himself up. He grabbed his cane off of his desk. His foot was still wrapped in the cast. "Toph is robbing everyone blind. No pun intended."

"Don't ban it," Katara said as she headed to the door with Zuko limping behind her.

"How come?" Zuko whispered when they entered the ballroom. He adjusted his cane to his other hand and offered Katara his arm. She happily took it and was lead to their table where their friends were waiting.

"Because I might have placed some money on that bet," Katara smiled sweetly and then turned her attention to Ling's and Mim's new baby, Zora. She picked the baby up and rocked her.

"You did what!" Zuko whispered loudly. His reaction caught Zora's attention and she stared at him with her dark eyes. Katara continued to smile at him.

"I made a little wager," Katara said as if she was talking about her day. Zuko's jaw dropped as he continued to stare at his wife. "I just placed a bet that there will be a child after three years and since it's my body," she let the sentence trailed off.

"You're running the tables," Zuko said once his brain started to function again. A huge grin appeared on his face. "My wife is a scam artist!"

"I may have picked up some tips from Toph," Katara shrugged. She returned Zora to her parents.

"Then I should make a wager," Zuko said. He could not help smirking when Katara spun around with her eyes wide as saucers. The color drained from her face. "When you win this bet," Katara smiled that he said _when_ not _if_. "I should name our firstborn."

"Spirits," Katara murmured as she walked into Zuko's arms. He pulled her into his chest and placed his chin on her head. "What awful Fire Nation name would it be?"

"What makes you think it's not an awful Water Tribe name?"

"I'm not agreeing to this."

"Then I'll make sure that Toph wins," Zuko knew he was giving a very arrogant smile.

"You wouldn't," Katara whispered hoarsely.

"Try me," Zuko purred in her ear.

"_Fine_," Katara hissed. "What are the names that our poor future child would have?"

"If it's a boy," Zuko smiled. "His name would be Lee," he saw Katara's eyes danced with excitement. "If it's a girl, her name would be Sapphire."

"Sapphire?" Katara laughed. "I thought you said it was the worst fake name ever!"

"My last name isn't Fire," Zuko retorted. "So?"

"They are not the most original names," Katara said. She laughed out loud when Zuko gave her dirty look. "I like them. They have a special meaning in them," without another word, Katara pulled Zuko in for a kiss.

They ignored the gagging sounds that were coming from Toph and the suggestion of getting a room from Aang.

* * *

Grey eyes watched the happily married couple across the ballroom. The stranger gave a snort as he walked away from the crowd. He could not stand seeing the new Fire Lord being so happy. It was not fair, they both have been banished at the same time but that little brat was welcomed back with open arms. An evil smile appeared on his lips, he could always send a note to remind Zuko that he was still alive. He knew the first note caught his attention. He kept reminding himself that he has to be patient. That his plan was a carefully laid out Pai Sho game. The wrong move would ruin everything that he worked for. The right move would make him the victor.

The right move would give himwhat is rightfully his.

* * *

**Sad that the Fortune Series came to an end. They where fun to write! Now it's time to post the sequel! It's another zutara! I have another story in the works, a little differnt than these stories. Set after Sozin's comet and yes, it's another zutara!**


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